Snowe says deep cuts to LIHEAP ‘absolutely a travesty’ (Bangor Daily News)
TweetDecember 8, 2011
By Andrew Miga
WASHINGTON — Three New England senators are pushing a bill to prevent deep spending cuts in the federal home heating assistance program that they say could imperil thousands of poor and elderly people this winter.
Sens. Olympia Snowe of Maine, Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Jack Reed of Rhode Island said Wednesday they want $4.7 billion for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, the same amount provided by the government to states last winter.
With wintry weather closing in, the economy still struggling and home heating oil prices running higher this year, states do not know how much money they will receive for the program this winter because Congress has yet to decide. Many states have cut benefit levels.
“This is absolutely a travesty,” Snowe, a Republican, said of the expected cuts. “This is a program that can really make the difference between life and death.”
- Pew Research study shows "A Rise in Wealth for the Wealthy; Declines for the Lower 93%": http://t.co/B1x3G2Z0gM
- Check out the op-ed The Soul of America by @FriendsofBernie in @HuffingtonPost regarding #fiscalcliff and #debtceiling http://t.co/6I505g7W